Wave of Tibet immolations among history's biggest

Wave of Tibet immolations among history's biggest

April 2nd, 2012 in News

BEIJING (AP) - Dozens of Tibetans have set themselves on fire over the past year to protest Chinese rule, sometimes drinking kerosene to make the flames explode from within, in one of the biggest waves of political self-immolations in recent history.

But the stunning protests are going largely unnoticed in the wider world - due in part to a smothering Chinese security crackdown in the region that prevents journalists from covering them.

Experts describe self-immolations as, historically, a powerful form of protest, and the ones in Tibet might yet lead to some broader uprising or stir greater international pressure on Beijing.

The Tibetan protesters have burned themselves in market places, main streets, military camps and other symbols of government authority in western China, mostly in a single remote county.

Most of the protesters have been members of the Buddhist clergy. The latest were two monks, aged 21 and 22, on Friday.